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| Ptilorrhoa urrissia Woxvold, Gamui, Legra, Yama, Koane & Tulai, 2025 Hooded Jewel-babbler || DOI: doi.org/10.1111/ibi.70016 |
Abstract
Based on distinctive morphological and vocal characters we describe a new species of jewel-babbler (genus Ptilorrhoa) from the forested karst of the Southern Fold Mountains in Papua New Guinea. The description is based on camera trap data and is presented in accordance with ICZN Declaration 45. The new species is currently known only from the type locality at the top of Iagifu Ridge (1335–1400 m above sea level), a limestone anticline isolated from the main body of New Guinea's central cordillera, where it is uncommon. Given the importance of competitive exclusion in determining Ptilorrhoa distributions, and the near ubiquitous occurrence of congeners, we speculate that Iagifu Ridge may support part of a highly fragmented population that occupies isolated low mountains that do not support Ptilorrhoa leucosticta of higher elevations. Potentially suitable sites may be restricted to the area between Mt Bosavi and Mt Karimui in southern Papua New Guinea.
Keywords: camera trap, ICZN Declaration 45, New Guinea, taxonomy
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| Camera trap images of the holotype and two paratype Ptilorrhoa urrissia, taken during a 3-month sampling period in a high-density array covering 0.5 ha (see Methods). The holotype (a–c, marked ‘h’ in (a)) and one paratype (a and d, marked ‘p’ in (a)), putative adult female and juvenile with female-type plumage, respectively, were photographed together on 1 January 2020; the images shown are part of a sequence of 20 photographs taken over a period of 87 s. The putative adult male paratype (e) was photographed less than 40 m away on 8 March 2020. |
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| Other Ptilorrhoa urrissia images (a–e), at least some of which may represent the holotype and paratypes. (a, b) Putative adult male and female, respectively, photographed in a single sequence (27 s apart) on 8 February 2020. (c) Male photographed on 15 January 2020. (d) Video still of male delivering the call shown in Figure 6a,b. (e) Male (background) and probable juvenile with female-type plumage photographed on 1 January 2020, less than 40 m distance from and 2 h before the holotype sequence shown in Figure 3a–d. (f) Female Ptilorrhoa castanonota shown for size comparison; images (e) and (f) were taken on the same camera 56 min apart. |
Ptilorrhoa urrissia, sp. nov.
Hooded Jewel-babbler
Diagnosis: Table 1 compares in detail the morphological features of adult P. urrissia with those of its congeners – P. geislerorum and the locally occurring subspecies of P. caerulescens, P. castanonota and P. leucosticta. Figure 5 shows examples of the compared taxa.
Etymology: The name ‘urrissia’ is a noun in apposition. ‘Uri urrissia’ (= ‘mount urrissia’) is the Namo Me (also known as Fasu) language name applied to Iagifu Ridge by the local Fasol clan landowners.
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| Ptilorrhoa urrissia habitat on Iagifu Ridge. (Iain Woxvold.) |
Iain A. Woxvold, Banak G. Gamui, Leo Legra, Samson Yama, Bonny Koane and Salape Tulai. 2025. A New Species of Jewel-babbler (Cinclosomatidae: Ptilorrhoa) from the Southern Fold Mountains of Papua New Guinea. Ibis. DOI: doi.org/10.1111/ibi.70016 [26 November 2025]
